1947 in 2013: A Familiar Look at Librarianship

A familiar sight in 2013 as in 1947.

I was watching an old library vocation video on YouTube on the state of libraries in 1947. It was a look back on the profession in 1940’s America presented with a quaint, wholesome quality with a healthy dose of business suits. Even without the use of computers and digital media at the time the film still remains familiar in 2013 in its listing of different roles, responsibilities and qualifications.

The librarian remains first and foremost the main contact with visitors of all kinds. Behind a wooden desk or today in the light of a computer screen the librarian welcomes inquiries with a warmth and inner curiosity for each patron. Presenting an appropriate image to the public as the library’s ambassador was true then as it is now; the librarian is driven in her work, and it should appear that way to the public. Librarians are still an ongoing effective public relations campaign to the community.  Today whether the staff member behind the desk is a librarian or paraprofessional, visitors expecting quality customer service like to be met not by a machine but by a qualified human.

The reference librarian of today goes through the same process as in the example from the film. It starts with the hesitant patron seeking a resource; this could be in person or over the phone. The interview establishes need, purpose, scope and the patron’s knowledge gaps. The librarian relies on past experience and a familiarity with the library’s various collections to investigate potential leads while following the card catalogues, or today an online OPAC, prepared meticulously by cataloguers. The end result following the exit interview is the librarian is experience for the better, and the patron has what is needed or even comes away with new ideas.

Qualifications listed during the video included a college degree from a library school and training necessary depending on the role. At this point in the 1940s the field of librarianship is done with a standardized education and librarians are expected to possess specific qualities. Today librarians are required to have a Master of Library and Information Science degree as well as a reasonable level of technological skills to handle a wide range of new and emerging technologies.

Similar to past literature on career recruitment articles from the 1940s to the 1960s I have read prior to the video, the library is a place of multiple forms of media available to the public. Even if the film has a heavy emphasis on books, other formats are free to use. In the library film, films on topics such as journalism and poultry raising are available; microfilm and phonograph records are also shared with patrons. Librarians back then and now are required to have a level of tech-savviness to use a variety of various media to organize and disseminate information to the widest possible audience.

The 1947 film became a reflection of what has changed and remained. Our methods of delivery may be have changed with the times, but the human element is a constant presence whether behind a desk or a computer screen.